Electronic gauge for measuring the radial freedom of antifriction bearings in their races



ELECTRONIC GAUGE FOR lim'suame was RADIAL FREEDOM OF ANTI-FRICTION smamcs IN THEIR moss Filed Sept. 11, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 22, 1947. J J NEFF 2,419,280

E L E C TRON/0 VOL TME TE R TUBE OSCILLA TOR INVENTOR JOSEPH J. NEFF BY A TTORNE Y April 2 1947- J. J NEFF ELECTRONIC GAUGE FOR MEAURING THE RADIAL FREEDOM OF ANTI-FRICTION BEARINGS IN THEIR RACES Filed Sept. 11, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR JOSEPH J. NEFF ATTORNEY i clamping, position and the Patented Apr. 22,

umrsu STATE 2,419,280' P I I ELECTRONIC (GAUGE FOR MEASURING THE RADIAL 'FREEDOM OF iAN'nFRIc'rIo BEARINGS IN THEIR nAcEs Joseph J. Neif, South Euclid, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to J ackd Heintz Prechion Industries, Inc., Cleveland,

of Delaware Ohio, a corporation Application September 11, 1945, Serial No. 515,668

caged, may be readily checked and measured.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention resides in the combination of parts and in the details of construction set forth in the following description and appended claims, certain embodiments thereof being shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a viewpartly in elevation and partly in vertical section, showing the device to include a work support comprising a clamping means for the inner race, a support for the outer race, a ball separating and positioning-member therebetween, a pair of opposed and alternately operated radial pressure members for engaging the outside of the outer race, a stylus for engaging the periphery of the outer race, a displacement pick-up mechanism the armature of which is operated by the stylus and a vacuum tube oscillator andelectronic voltmeter circuit;

Figure 2 is a detail view'ln vertical section of a pneumatically operated piston comprising part ofthe mechanism for eflecting the clamping of the inner race, the section being taken at right angles to that of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view partly in elevation and part ly in vertical section of the work supporting mechanism without the work and showing the inner race clamping collet in contracted, or nonoperating piston in an upper position; 4

Figure 4 is a view similar toFig'ure 3, showing the inner race clamping collet in an expanded and race clamping position and the operating pistonina downward position'z'and Y v Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view in elevation of the inner race clamping collet and the surrounding ball separator and positioner.

The specific purpose or the device illustrated in the drawings is to provide a. gauge for measuring radial freedom between the inner and outer race of an anti-friction bearing assembl and the bearings embraced thereby, or in other words,

the radial looseness of the anti-friction bearing's therein before being cased. Generally speaking, it is proposed to accomplish this by providing collet means for releasably clamping the in- 6 Claims. (Cl. 33-143)- is arranged to ball separatorand positioner havlnga plurality of verticalslots into which the balls separately fall while still engaging the grooves of the inner and outer races. A pair of diametrically opposed pressure plungers are alternately operated to engage by pressure the outer surface of the outer race as a flexibly mounted stylusis'in resilient;contact with such surface. The stylus is a component part of 'an electric displacement pickup unit and a vacuum tube oscillator and electronic voltmeter circuit of a similar type to that employed in the United States patent to Joseph J. Nefl, No. 2,361,788, October 31, 1944, for Displacement pickup.

-Referring more particularly to the drawings,

the device is supported by a base i which supports a shaft generally indicated at 2 and having an upper portion 3 of reduced diameter and a lower portion that is bevelled at 4' to increase in diameter downwardly. Surrounding this shaft is a hollow collet device including a cap piece 5 that fits over-the upper shaft portion 3. The remaining portion of the hollow collet is provided with a plurality of vertical slots 6 to form a plurality of expansible collet tongues I. Surrounding the collet in spaced relationship is a member 8, that is rigid with the base, for separating and positioning of the balls and which includes a 'plurality of diflerent length prongs 9 between which are equally sized upwardlyopcn slots l0 each to receive a separate ball.

The arrangement Justdescribed is such thatthe bearing assembly, including-the inner race I l and the outer race lfwith theballs' it within the two races but as yet uncaged, is passed over the top of the collet so thatthe" inner race is between the collet tongues I and the ball separator 8 and the outer race surrounds the lower portion of separator 8 as each ball occupies a separate groove is between prongs '9 of the ball sepparator. This is possible when the collet tongues 'l are in the upper position on shaft bevel 4 as shown in Figure 3.

For purposes of clamping the inner race in position for measurement of radial freedom, or ra- 'dial looseness of the'balls in the inner and outer praces, there is provided a rod I! that extends through the shaft to be secured to the cap I of The "piston rests on a compression coil spring H in the lower portion of the cylinder and the rod M carries across ,pin it thatrides m aguide slot IS in thebase her race in a fixed position, About this collet oo,

which also acts as a limit stop for longitudinal movement of rod", The screw-threaded opening into cylinder i6 above piston It serves as an inlet for supplying air pressure, under suitable manually controlled valve means, not shown. toforce piston l6 downwardlyagainst the action of spring I! into the position shown in Figure 4. This action, through rod ll, pulls the .collet downwardly causing the collet tongues I to ride downwardly on shaft bevel 4 and xpand against the inner surface of the inner race and cludes an electric displacement pickup unit with a housing 2| suitably connected to the base. Inside of this housing is a coil form 22 for supporting a driving coil 24 and a pickup coil 25 on one side and a pickup coil 26 on the other side. of the driving coil, the windings of the three coils being coaxially arranged. An armature 21 is mounted inside the coils for longitudinal movement therein and carries a stylus 26 pivoted at 29. A tension coil spring 30 is provided to urge the stylus in a clockwise direction about its pivot and an adjustable screw bolt is provided to act as a limit stop of such clockwise pivoting of the stylus. The stylus has a stylus point, or ball, 32 which rests on the outer surface of the outer race i2.

In order to provide a double check on the radial freedom of the outer race, or the radial looseness of the balls while installed between the inner and outer race but before being placed in a conventional ball cage, there is provided on the base on one side or the bearing assembly support a suitable air cylinder 33 and piston having a piston rod 35 and an air inlet tube 84 from a suitable source or pressure air. side is a similar air cylinder 36, a piston'having a piston rod 31 and an air inlet tube 38 from the On the othersame pressure air source. Operation of a suitable manual valve means, not sh0wn,-"in.one direction will cause piston 35 to move to the right to bring pressure member 39 into radial pressure engagement with the outer surface of the outer race. A reverse movement of the manual valve means will release. such pressure and cause piston rod 31 to move to-the left to bring pressure member 40 into radial pressure engagement with the opposite side of the outer race. 1

The armature 21 is first adjusted to be properly centered electrically with respect to the three coils 24, 2s and 26 so that the voltages induced' in pickup coils 26 and 26 by driving coil 24 are in opposition as .a result of the coil connections thereby neutralizing the effect of the pickup mechanism on the voltmeter ll. Measurement by the instrument is dependent upon the position of the armature within the three coils. Thumb nut 22 4 provides for an adjust ment of the pickup unit'with respect to the base and the stylus with respect to the outer race. when the driving coil 24 receives a signal from the vacuumtube oscillator 42, opposing, voltages are set up in pickup coils 26 and '26. If when the stylus point engages the outer surface of the outer race l2, while member 36 or member 46 is brought into pressure engagement with the outer race, there is radial freedom or looseness of the a 4 balls in the races, the stylus is forced to pivot in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction respectively, and the armature is accordingly displaced from its electrical center with respect to the coils. More voltage will accordingly be induced in one pickup coil than in the other, resulting in a corresponding reading on the dial of the electronic voltmeter. I e

I claim: 1 a '1. In an electrical measuring instrument for measuring the radial clearance of ball bearings between the inner and outer races of a bearing assembly prior .to caging of said bearings, a radially expansible collet, a ball separating andpositioning member comprising a cylinder surrounding said collet in spaced-relationship and having a plurality of open ended slots each to separately" receive a ball as the ball bearing expanding said collet to grip said inner race between said collet and said ball positioning cylinder, means for applying a'pressure radially inwardly on the outer surface of said outer race, a pivoted flexibly mounted stylus to resiliently engage the .outer surface of said cuter race, an electric displacement pickup unit including an armature carried by said stylus.

2. In an electrical measuring instrument for measuring the radial clearance of ball bearings between the inner and outer races of a bearing assembly prior to caging of said bearings, a radially expansible collet, a ball separating and positioning member comprising a cylinder surrounding said collet in spaced relationship and having a plurality'of open ended slots each to separately receive a ball' as the ball bearing assembly is placed in position for measurement with its outer race surrounding said ball positioning. cylinder and said inner race interposed between said cylinder and said collet, means for expanding said collet to grip said inner ,race between said collet and said ball positioningcylinder, plunger means for applying a pressure radially inwardly alternately on opposite sides of the outer surface of said outer race, a pivoted flexibly mounted stylus on oneside of said outerrace in line with said plunger means to resiliently engage the outer surface of said outer race, an electric displacement pickup unit including an armature carried by said stylus gi" 3. In any electrical measuring instrument for measuring the radial clearance of'ball bearings between the inner and outer races of a bearing 3 assembly prior to caging a: said bearings. a base, a shaft havinga bevelled portion, a collet surrounding and attached to said shaft and having radially expansible tonguewa'ball separating and positioning member comprising a cylinder surrounding said collet in spaced relationship and iently engage the outer surface of said outer race, an electric displacement pickup unit including an armature carried by said stylus.

4. In an electrical measuring instrument for measuring the radial clearance of ball bearings between the inner and outer races of a bearing assembly prior to caging of said bearings, a base, a shaft having a bevelled portion, a collet surrounding and attached to said shaft and having radially expansible tongues, a ball separatin and positioning member comprising a cylinder surrounding said collet in spaced relationship and having a plurality of open ended slots each to separately receive a ball as the ball bearing assembly is placed in position for measurement with its outer race surrounding said ball positioning cylinder and said inner race interposed between said cylinder and said collet tongues, means for pulling said collet to expand its tongues about the bevelled portion of said shaft to grip said inner race between said tongues and said ball positioning cylinder, plunger means for applying a pressure radially inwardly alternately on opposite sides of the outer surface of said outer race, a pivoted flexibly mounted stylus on one side of said outer race in line with said plunger means to resiliently engage the outer surface of said outer race, an electric displacement pickup unit including an armature carried by said stylus.

5. In an electrical measuring instrument for measuring the radial clearance of ball bearings between the inner and outer races of a bearing assembly prior to caging of said bearings, a radially expansible collet, a ball separating and positioning member comprising a cylinder surrounding said collet in spaced relationship and having a plurality of open ended slots each to separately receive a ball as the ball bearing assembly is placed in position for measurement with its outer race surrounding said ball positioning cylinder and said inner race interposed between said cylinder and said collet, means for expanding said collet to grip said inner race between said collet and said ball positioning cylinder, 9. pair of pressure plungers alternately operable to apply a pressure on opposite sides of the outer 6. In an electrical measuring instrument for measuring the radial clearance of ballbearings betweenthe inner and outer races of a bearing assembly prior to caging of said bearings, a base, a shaft having abevelled portion, a collet'surrounding and attached to said shaft and having radially expansible tongues, a ball separating and positioning member comprising a cylinder surrounding said collet in spaced relationship and having a plurality of open ended slots each to separately receive a ball as the ball bearing assembly is placed in position for measurement with its outer race surrounding said ball positioning cylinder and said inner race interposed between said cylinder and said collet tongues, pneumatic means for pulling said collet to expand its tongues about the bevelled portion of said shaft to grip said inner race between said tongues and said ball positioning cylinder, a pair of pneumatic pressure plungers alternately operable to apply a pressure on opposite sides of the outer surface of said outer race, a pivoted flexibly mounted stylus on one side of said outer race in line with said plungers to resiliently engage the outer surface of said outer race, an electric displacement pickup unit including an armature carried by said stylus.

JOSEPH J. NEFF.

REFERENCES CITED;

The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATEN'IS Number Name Date 1,391,509 Rouanet Sept. 20, 1921 1,550,671 Brault Aug. 25, 1925 2,122,664 Terry July 5, 1938 2,361,788 Nefi Oct. 31, 1944 

